The Unown Saga: Ancient Origins
by CellarDoor96
Summary: The third and final of The Unown Saga. When a Phione named Takumi finds an ancient relic, he is wrapped up in a plot that began millennia ago. Male Phione x female Phione, Latios x female Togekiss, and Gallade x female Deoxys. DISCONTINUED
1. Revival

Chapter 1 – Revival

I do not own Pokemon or the characters' species, but I own the characters.

**Chapter 1 – Revival**

The man opened his eyes, finding himself in a dark room, lying on a table. He sat up and glanced around.

A voice spoke. "You have failed."

The man was startled. "It's you!"

Something gleamed in the shadows. "Yes, it is me. You failed me once again. This makes twice…"

The man took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, sir."

"I should destroy you. Yet I will not, because you may still be useful. Instead, I have healed your injuries, replacing any extensively damaged areas with robotic parts."

"Thank you." The man looked at his right hand, finding that it was now harder than flesh and that it reflected a faint gray through the gloom.

"I will give you a third chance. Yet, I do not plan to do things the same way this time. I discovered yesterday the location of something I lost long ago; a key. With it, I may open a certain door… And make use of what lies within. Now, however, this key has been moved, and I am no longer sure of its location. I want you to find it, and bring it to me. Again, I will give you all the… toys you will require, like the last times. Do not fail. You must know what they say… Three strikes, and you're out." There was a dry, almost metallic chuckle.

The man gulped. "Yes, sir."

A skittering noise came as several small flashing objects approached. The man saw that they were tiny metallic spider-like creatures. The skittering noises increased gradually, until the room was swarming with them.

"I will be watching you, remember that. Follow my spies, they will lead you to transportation."

The metallic spiders stopped, then streamed toward a hole that opened suddenly in one round wall. The man followed without hesitation.

Once the room was empty, the voice spoke again. "This world shall soon fear me once again. Stand-by mode."

There was a whirring noise, and then the room was silent.


	2. Takumi

Chapter 2 – Takumi

**Chapter 2 – Takumi**

I opened my eyes slowly. Immediately sitting up, I opened my mouth and heaved out about a quart of salt water before flopping back onto the sand exhaustedly. Glancing around myself, I groaned at the realization of where I was. I was lying on a beach, well above the water line. This was bad.

The reason why this was bad was simply because of who I am. My name is Takumi, and I'm a Phione. This means that, first of all, I can't survive out of the water for very long, and second of all, I have no legs. Which of course in turn meant that the only way for me to get back into the water was for the tide to come in, hopefully high enough to wash me back out.

I coughed out more salt water. I can breathe water, you understand. But I, like all Phione, have three passages down my throat, one to my stomach, one to my gills, and one to my lungs. For some reason, Phione are able to breathe air as well as water, but not at the same time. And somehow water had found its way into my lungs.

Once I finished my coughing fit, I inhaled deeply, grimacing slightly at the taste of pollution. I figured I must be near a human settlement, though I couldn't see it when I looked inland. All I saw were trees, though some had broken branches, probably from the same storm that had washed me up here.

It was early morning, and the sun was starting to appear over the horizon. This was bad for two reasons. One, it meant that the tide wouldn't come back in for almost a day, I would have to wait until the next midnight. And even worse, it meant that the predators would be waking up, and I was sure that they wouldn't pass up a free meal.

But there was nothing I could do right now, so instead I relaxed and sighed, fidgeting with the black stone I wore on a string around my neck. I had found it about a year ago, just before I became five years old. It had a hole in it already, and it looked pretty, so I found some string a human had discarded and threaded it through, making it into a necklace. I wasn't sure why I liked it, but it was the only thing I owned besides myself.

I was a nomad, you see, just wandering around the ocean like all Phione, going wherever there was food. I had hatched from an egg, never knowing who my parents were, since when you're a Phione you're on your own from the start. The ocean is vast, so there's a small chance of encountering another Phione without any sort of meeting arrangement.

But I did know one other of my species. Her name is Marina, and I had met her by chance one day. We had quickly become friends, and from then on had gone almost everywhere together.

Until last night, when the storm came and washed me up on this beach. I sat up again, pushing with my arms on the sand, to try and maybe push myself toward the water. But the sand was too slippery, and I ended up falling back down.

I tried to wipe sand off myself, since my body was still wet and it was sticking to me uncomfortably. When the sand only stuck to my arms, I gave up, too tired to really care. I wanted to sleep, but I knew that I had to stay alert in case of predators.

Speaking of which, the next second the sand a few feet away shifted, and a small orange and white creature emerged. It was about the same size as me, it had two large orange pincers, and it had four white legs. Its entire body was covered in a hard shell.

It was a Krabby. After emerging from its burrow, it glanced around at its surroundings, then noticed me. Making a bubbling noise, it began to scuttle toward me sideways. I figured that it was surprised to find a meal this easy.

"Go away!" I yelled at it, trying to deter it. It stopped and looked at me curiously.

But then it continued, knowing that I was essentially helpless. Upon reaching me, it tried to grab my arm with one pincer, but I quickly pulled my arm away. I opened my mouth, gathering up as much water as I could spare from inside me, and spewed a stream of bubbles at the Krabby.

The Krabby was pushed backward slightly and startled, but other than that I didn't manage to do anything to it. I closed my mouth, then grimly pondered what to do next as the Krabby recovered and reached out toward me with its pincers.

Then there was a short screech, as a blue and white shape flew into the Krabby. I recognized it as a Wingull, a bird-like Pokemon that generally hung around beaches. As the two started to fight, scratching and pinching, I realized with dread that they were fighting over who would get the right to eat me. And though I was ignored for the moment, eventually one would win.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable. There was no way I could escape, since I was exhausted and had no legs. I could only hope I made one of them sick.

Then the sounds escalated momentarily before fading away. After a moment, I opened my eyes, to see that the Wingull and Krabby were gone, and instead of them a pink figure was floating nearby. It had a tail, and two triangular ears…

I gulped as it turned toward me. It was a Mew, one of the most powerful Pokemon in existence. I absently wondered at my chances of escape, and decided that they weren't very good.

It began to move forward, staring at me. I tried to shift away from it, but didn't get very far before I stopped, breathing heavily. Once I regained my breath, I stammered fearfully, "P-please, leave me alone!"

The Mew stopped, and after a second I heard a voice in my mind. "You can talk?" The voice was feminine.

I nodded quickly. "Yes! Just please don't eat me…"

There was silence for several moments. Then I heard the voice in my mind again, coming from the Mew. "Why would I eat you?"

I stared in confusion. "You mean you're not going to?"

"No."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh."

"Are you alright?"

"I think so, I'm not hurt. Thanks for saving me, I guess." I figured the Mew had driven off the Krabby and Wingull.

The Mew floated closer to me, landing next to me. "You're welcome. I'm Avari, what's your name?"

I smiled, feeling slightly giddy from relief. "Takumi."

Avari smiled as well. "It's nice to meet you, Takumi. Do you need help?"

I hesitated, wondering if I should bother such a rare and powerful Pokemon with my problems. After a moment, though, I nodded. "I, um, can't get back to the water…"

"Can you swim? You look tired…" She was watching me concernedly.

"Um, I can sort of swim…" I closed my eyes, trying to hide how exhausted I really was.

"No, I don't think you can. Here, I'll bring you to my home so you can rest."

I opened my eyes. "I don't want to be a bother…"

"It's alright, no one will mind. Don't worry, you'll be safe, I can't just leave you here after all." She reached down to pick me up.

"Oh, thanks then…" Closing my eyes again, I quickly fell asleep.


	3. Eterna Forest

Chapter 3 – Eterna Forest

**Chapter 3 – Eterna Forest**

I looked around myself. I was floating in a dark, gloomy room. The walls appeared to be made of rock, though what really surprised me was the fact that I was floating when there was no water.

I heard a voice in my head. "I have something to tell you, Takumi."

I glanced around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Who are you?"

There was no one else there, as far as I could tell. But the next moment, the voice spoke again. "You possess something of great value. It must not fall into the wrong hands. Find the voices of the wind, and of thunder, and of fire, and destroy it. Good luck…"

The voice faded away, and I called out. "What do you mean, I don't have anything, where am I supposed to go?" There was only silence in return.

After a moment, I fell back into darkness…

.

I awoke to the feeling of something soft on top of me. Opening my eyes, I glanced around, finding that I was in a small room with faded white and brown walls. I was lying on a bed, covered with a white blanket.

Sitting up, I wondered how long I had been asleep. I was incredibly thirsty, and my skin was dry. I decided to try calling for someone, since obviously I wouldn't be able to go anywhere.

"Um, is anyone here?"

After several moments, the door opened, and a small pink form floated in. It was Avari. She glanced at me and smiled. "Are you better now?"

I nodded slightly. "Yes, but I'm, um, I'm really thirsty. I need to get back into the water."

She nodded after a moment. "Alright. There's a lake nearby."

I nodded again, then pushed the blanket off myself. "Okay, but how am I going to get there?" I glanced down at the point on the bottom of my body, where most other creatures had legs. "I can't walk…"

Avari sighed. "I'll carry you again, with my mind."

"Oh. Thanks."

Her eyes flashed, and I felt myself being lifted into the air. In amazement, I looked down at myself and saw that I was glowing faintly purple. "Cool."

Avari giggled, then floated out of the room. I followed involuntarily, but not really minding, as long as I got to the water.

.

"So how did you end up on land?"

I inflated the sac on my head, making myself rise to the surface. Once I reached it, I stuck my head out of the water and considered the question. "There was a storm last night."

Avari tilted her head curiously. "Really? We didn't notice one."

I stifled a laugh. "That's because you weren't in the ocean. I was probably miles away from here when the storm hit." Then I thought of something. "Wait, where am I, anyway?"

Avari gestured at the dense woods behind her. "That's Eterna Forest, where I live."

I blinked, trying to place the location on my mental map, but not succeeding because this map generally consisted of water currents and other things found in the ocean. "Oh."

After a moment, she asked, "Have you ever been on land before?"

I nodded. "Once. It wasn't enjoyable." I shuddered at the memory. "I spent most of my time fending off Wingull. Although, the tide came in pretty soon, lucky for me."

"Oh, that's good, then." A moment later, Avari glanced at my chest, gesturing at it with one paw. "What's that, by the way?"

I looked down, realizing she was talking about the black rock I was wearing. "I don't know, I just found it and thought it was pretty. It's a rock." I shrugged.

"Are you sure it's a rock? It doesn't look like any I've ever seen."

Turning to float on my back, I picked up the stone and studied it. It had many nuances and grooves, some of which seemed almost square and some of which were wide curves. The entire thing was almost perfectly round, and was flattened slightly. "I don't know what else it could be besides a rock. What do you think it could be if it's not?"

Avari floated toward me, peering at it. "I'm not sure, it could be something made by humans… Although I don't know what it would be for."

"The ocean weathers rocks in interesting ways, it probably was just tossed around by the currents a lot."

"Oh, okay." Avari glanced backward. "I should go back now, I don't want to worry my parents, especially after what happened last year."

This statement piqued my interest. "Your parents? You mean you know who they are? And what happened last year?"

"Yes, I know who they are. Don't you know yours?"

"No, I was by myself when I hatched, like all Phione. You mean yours stuck around?"

"Yes… I'm sorry, I guess I don't know much about Phione."

"Oh. I guess I don't know much about Mew, either." I realized suddenly that my other question hadn't been answered. "What happened last year?"

She sighed. "I don't really like to talk about it, but pretty much some of my friends and I accidentally let loose the strongest Pokemon ever. And it tried to end the world."

"Really? What happened then?"

"We stopped it." I sensed from the tone that there was a lot that my new friend wasn't telling me.

"Okay, then." I mentally reminded myself not to make her angry.

"Anyway, do you want to come back with me?" Avari glanced at me questioningly.

I shook my head. "No, I'll stay here. If that's okay with you, I mean."

"Don't worry, I don't own the lake. You can stay as long as you like." She smiled.

"Thanks anyway, for everything." I smiled as well. "You saved my life, I don't know how I can pay you back."

"You don't have to, I'm glad I could help." Avari turned, glancing back at me. "Good-bye, then, I'll see you later."

"'Bye! And thanks again." I waved as she floated off into the forest.

Once she was gone, I submerged again, wondering why I hadn't asked her to take me back to the ocean.


	4. Kecleon

Chapter 4 – Kecleon

**Chapter 4 – Kecleon**

I found some edible plants growing in and around the lake, and since I was hungry I quickly consumed them. Then I submerged, resting on the bottom of the lake, and went to sleep. Though there were other Pokemon living in the sizeable lake, I didn't think that any of them were a threat, so I felt that it was safe to do this.

.

I opened my eyes and glanced around the lake. It wasn't deep, so I could tell that the sun was still shining. I spotted a Buizel, a small furry Pokemon that lived around freshwater, swimming by in the distance. The water was clear, and I could see almost from one side of the lake to the next. To tell the truth, that made me a little uneasy, since it made the lake feel smaller than it actually was, and I was used to the expanse of the ocean.

Inflating the sac on my head, I rose to the surface again. As soon as my head emerged from the water, I switched from my gills to my lungs and took a look around.

I was then immediately hit by a beam of rainbow-colored light that blasted me across the lake. I cried out as I was smashed into the mud of the shallows.

I laid there, dazed, for several moments before regaining my senses. Pulling myself out of the mud, I stuck my head out of the water and coughed, having inhaled some water because I hadn't had time to switch to my gills. Then I shook the mud off and glanced around for the source of the beam.

There was no one else there. Frowning, I listened carefully for several moments. I continued to look around, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. All I heard were the normal noises from the forest, and occasional splashes from across the lake. But still I had an uneasy feeling, like I was being watched.

Then a green object appeared to one side, almost right in front of me, and lunged. I was caught off guard as it crashed into me, scratching with sharp claws. I cried out in pain and was knocked back into the mud.

I flailed for several seconds as the mud clouded the water, obscuring my vision. Finally I realized that I was no longer being attacked, and I stopped, rising back up. Once my head broke through the surface of the water, I coughed up more freshwater and glanced around wildly.

I spotted something a few feet away. It appeared to be a small black rock, attached to a string, floating above a red stripe. They were moving toward the forest.

After a moment of initial shock, I realized that the rock was _my_ rock. Glancing down, I realized that it was gone. I looked back up, seeing it somehow floating away, and wondered how this was happening and what had attacked me.

"Come back!" I shouted angrily. It kept moving.

I stared numbly, knowing that it was as good as gone already, since I couldn't go out of the water and it was already out of range of my attacks. Flopping back into the water resignedly, I sighed. It was only a rock, after all.

.

I glanced up in some surprise as I heard a familiar telepathic voice. "Um, hello?"

Emerging from the water, I looked in the direction of its source, seeing Avari floating a few feet away. To my surprise, there was someone else with her.

It was a yellow and white Pokemon, with what appeared to be a three-pointed hat. Small blue strips of what looked like paper hung from two of the points, the ones on each side. Its body was shaped vaguely like a human's, with long yellow streamer-like protrusions coming from its back.

"Takumi, this is Jirachi. I told him about you on the way here." I glanced at Avari, and realized that she was holding my rock.

"Where did you get that?!"

She glanced at it. "I saw a Kecleon run by a while ago, and it was holding it. I recognized it and thought you might want it back, so I took it." She floated over and gave it to me. "Here."

I took it, realizing that the string was gone. "Thanks. But I can't wear it anymore." I put it on the shoreline, then glanced at Jirachi and smiled. "Nice to meet you."

He smiled back. "Nice to meet you too."

After a moment, I asked inquisitively, "Who are you? Are you Avari's boyfriend or something?"

Both of them reddened at this, and I wondered if I'd said something wrong. After another moment, Jirachi answered hesitantly. "Well, um, we're friends…"

"…Oh."

"Um, anyway, how did the Kecleon get this?" Avari gestured at my black rock.

I sighed. "I got hit by some sort of beam, then something jumped on me, and by the time I realized what was going on, it was floating away. A Kecleon, you said? What's that?"

"Um, a Kecleon is a Pokemon that can blend into its surroundings. Except for the stripe on its stomach, I think," Avari explained. "You mean you don't know what it is?"

"No… I've only been on land once before, so I don't know very much about the things that live on it. But in any case, that explains why I didn't see it." I shrugged. "Thanks for getting it back, anyway. And for saving me." Blushing embarrassedly, I smiled.

"You're welcome. I couldn't very well let you be eaten, could I?"

"Still, thanks. I'm in your debt, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up…" I shuddered, then changed the subject. "Anyway, um, it's not like it isn't fun around here, but um, could you take me back to the ocean?"

Avari looked slightly surprised. "Oh, okay. You're feeling better now?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Alright, then." I was surrounded by purple light again, and lifted out of the water. I was happy that I would soon be going back home, but also a little sad that I wouldn't likely see my new friends again.


	5. Unpleasant Surprise

Chapter 5 – Unpleasant Surprise

**Chapter 5 – Unpleasant Surprise**

"What's that?"

Avari turned and stared to the right, in the direction of the large abandoned house where she and her family apparently lived. I glanced in that direction, and was startled to see that the faded red doors which opened into the house were no longer there.

Jirachi also turned, frowning. "The doors…" He began to float toward the house, Avari following, and I was pulled along as well.

When we were considerably closer to the house, Avari gasped and pointed at something inside the doorway. "There they are! But what happened…?"

Peering at what she was pointing to, I noticed two large, irregularly shaped objects. After a moment, I realized with dismay that they were what was left of the front doors.

Jirachi studied them, then glanced around. "I don't like this. There's only one reason this would happen: if someone wanted to get inside." He glanced at Avari, looking anxious. "Stay here, okay? I'm going to see if your parents are inside, and what happened."

Avari shook her head. "I want to know just as well."

"No, it could be a trap. Please, after what happened last year…" He faced her with a worried expression.

Avari stared at him for several moments, then sighed. "Fine. But if you don't come back in five minutes, I'm going in."

Jirachi nodded, then turned and floated through the gaping doorway. "I'll be right back."

Avari lowered herself and me onto the grass. As the purple aura around me disappeared, I dropped my rock and fell on my back, but soon managed to struggle to a semi-upright position, leaning against a tree. We waited.

After about a minute, I glanced at Avari. "You know, he seems to care about you an awful lot for someone who isn't—"

She glared at me. "Shut up." I noticed that her face was slightly red.

I took the hint and closed my mouth, gulping nervously. I still didn't understand what I had said that was wrong, but I felt that I would likely live longer if I was quiet. So instead, I looked around at the trees and waited silently.

Once a good amount of time had passed, Avari raised into the air. "I'm going after him."

I glanced at her, when there was a motion from inside the doorway. Turning my attention in that direction, I saw that it was Jirachi, apparently coming back. There was no one with him, and he had a grim expression.

"You can come in, it's safe and there's something you should see." Immediately after he said this, a flashing multicolored beam struck him from the right, knocking him out of my line of sight.

Avari cried out in surprise, darting forward. "Jirachi!"

I instinctively lurched forward, wanting to help as well, when I remembered that I was on land, and instead fell on my face in the grass. Mentally cursing my lack of legs, I flipped over with some difficulty and managed to look up in time to see the end of the fight.

It had ended quickly, and I now saw a green shape floating in the air just inside the doorway, suspended by the same purple light that had carried me. It was scaly, with a red stripe across its stomach, two yellow and green horns, and a tail that was curiously rolled into a circle.

"Are you alright?" Avari kept her eyes on the creature, but I could tell the question was directed at Jirachi.

He floated back into view, emerging from the doorway. The green creature also followed after him. Glancing at Avari, Jirachi grinned sheepishly. "Yes."

"I can take care of myself, see."

"It took me by surprise."

"Whatever." She frowned, still staring at the trapped scaly creature. "This looks like the same Kecleon that had your rock, Takumi."

"It does? Wait, that's a Kecleon?" I struggled to right myself so I could get a better view.

"Yes. What should I do with it?"

"Knock it out for now, we'll find out where it came from later." Jirachi gestured at the open doorway. "There's something you need to see."

Avari closed her eyes, appearing to concentrate, and after a moment the Kecleon's eyes closed as well. The purple aura disappeared, allowing the green scaly Pokemon to drop to the grass limply. With this done, Avari opened her eyes and turned toward the house, glancing at Jirachi. "Alright."

They floated into the large abandoned house. I stared after them, then cried out, "Wait, what about me?"

Avari glanced back, and I rose into the air after a moment. "You can come, too. I'm sorry for getting mad at you before, there was no reason to."

I blinked as I began to follow after them. "Okay, thanks."

I waited as Jirachi led the way through the human dwelling. Glancing around, I saw that destruction was everywhere. Sections of railing were torn away from the staircase and littered everywhere, there were blackened holes in the walls, and several furniture items that I had noticed before were… no longer there.

"What happened here?" Avari stared at an old bookcase that was now lying on the floor and roughly half its previous size.

Jirachi shrugged, stopping. "I don't know. But it looks like there was… a fight."

Avari glanced at him anxiously. "Do you think…?"

"There's no one here now, I checked."

"Then… Who was fighting? And what happened afterward?"

"I don't know… But look." Jirachi gestured at something on the floor, which appeared to be a black splotch.

Avari floated over and studied it. "What is… Oh."

"What? What is it?" I was curious, too, though judging by their reactions I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

Jirachi glanced at me, before replying. "Blood."

I processed that, paling. "Oh. But whose, then?"

Avari lifted her gaze, staring around the expansive room. "So that's why you think there was a fight…"

Jirachi nodded grimly, then turned back toward the entrance to the dwelling. "Let's see if we can get anything out of that Kecleon."


	6. Yarona

Chapter 6 – Yarona

**Chapter 6 – Yarona**

We stared at the spot where the Kecleon had been lying unconscious a few minutes before. It was currently unoccupied.

"It's gone." Avari glanced around.

"I don't think the Kecleon caused this, Kecleon aren't that strong." Jirachi gestured behind us at the abandoned house. "But it may have had something to do with it. Or maybe it just happened to come by after the doors were knocked down. But then why did it attack me?"

I studied the ground, noticing something that the other two had apparently missed. Pointing, I announced, "There are tracks, see. They might be Kecleon tracks, only I don't know what kind of tracks Kecleon make."

Avari lowered to the ground, gesturing at a footprint. "These? They're my footprints…"

I shook my head. "No, not those, they're too big to belong to the Kecleon. Those." I pointed to it again.

She followed my gesture. "I don't see… Oh, that. Well, that could be a Kecleon's—"

"Hey, there you are." A large white and blue bird-like creature flew toward us, coming to a stop a few feet away and hovering in the air. The telepathic voice spoke again, apparently coming from it. "I almost thought I wouldn't…"

It trailed off as it glanced at me. "Who's this?"

We stared in surprise for several moments, before Jirachi answered. "That's Takumi. Takumi, this is Kaden."

Kaden floated toward me slightly. "You're a Phione? Nice to meet you, I guess."

"You're a L— Um, nice to meet you too." At first, he seemed surprised at the fact that I had spoken out loud, but after a moment he recovered and made a comment.

"I thought Phione lived in the ocean."

Avari replied for me. "I found him washed up on the beach this morning, and he was being attacked by wild Pokemon, and since he was too weak to defend himself, I brought him back here."

I nodded slightly, feeling embarrassed. "Yeah, that's pretty much how it went."

Kaden glanced between us, then looked around, noticing something. "Where did the doors go?" He gestured at the doorway, which was gaping like an open wound, and then asked with bewilderment, "For that matter, what happened here?"

Jirachi sighed. "We're not sure, we came by here and found it like this. It looks like there was a fight, the doors were blasted in, and a lot of the house and furniture was destroyed. There was a Kecleon inside that attacked me, and we— okay, Avari— knocked it out. But now it's gone."

Kaden was silent for a moment, before he snickered. "_She_ came to _your_ rescue?"

Jirachi turned red, glaring at him. "Yes, what about it?"

"Nothing." He snickered again, the became serious. "Do you have an idea where this Kecleon went?"

Avari gestured at the ground. "There are some footprints here that look like they could be a Kecleon's, but—"

"Then what are you waiting for?" Kaden floated over to her, studied the ground for a second, and then took off through the trees. "Let's follow it!"

"—I don't want to follow the wrong ones," she finished lamely, staring after him. She then glanced back at Jirachi and me. "Should we go after him?"

Jirachi started toward the direction Kaden had flown in. "Yes, to make sure he doesn't get lost."

"Alright." Avari turned to me. "Can you wait a little longer to get back to the ocean?"

I hesitated. "Well, if it's not too much trouble, I would like to come with you… But I'll probably just get in the way… You should leave me here, and then when you find the Kecleon, come back for me."

"No, you would be helpless against the other Pokemon. You can come, it won't cause any problems."

"Okay, then…"

We floated off after Kaden, soon finding him hovering above the grass. He glanced back at us. "The trail stops here."

Then another telepathic voice was heard from the right. "Stop, leave me alone! Go away…"

We all immediately looked up. After a moment, Kaden exclaimed, "It sounds like someone's in trouble! Maybe it'll lead us to that Kecleon." He took off in the direction of the voice.

Jirachi and Avari glanced at each other, before we followed after him again.

After a few seconds, we came across an unusual scene and stopped. Kaden was also there, apparently having arrived just before us, and was watching with wide eyes.

Several black, gray, and white bird-like Pokemon were swarming around a small tree, which was covered with small round, red objects. I recognized the Pokemon, they were Staravia. Nearby, however, another Pokemon, a much larger bird-like one that was colored slightly yellowish and was covered with red and blue triangular markings, was lying on the grass. I recognized it, too, from vague descriptions I had heard. I was pretty sure it was a Togekiss. A few of the Staravia were also swarming around it.

The Togekiss whimpered as the Staravia pecked at it. It was bruised and scratched all over, its feathers ruffled, and there were tears streaming from its eyes. It spoke telepathically, in the same voice we had heard before. "Stop… please…"

Kaden moved forward. "Hey, stop that!"

The Staravia all stopped immediately and stared at him. For a moment, he stared back at them, appearing slightly nervous. I was nervous, too, hoping that they didn't notice me, as I would be helpless against that many. There must have been at least two dozen.

Finally, with a rush of wings, the Staravia all flew away at the same time. I was relieved, to say the least.

The Togekiss lifted its tearstained face, breathing heavily. "Th-thanks…" I realized from the voice that it was female.

Kaden turned his gaze to her. "Oh, you're welcome. Are you alright?"

She shifted, flinching, and moaned in discomfort. "Do I… really look that… that okay?"

Kaden moved closer, watching with concern. "No, not really, you look pretty beat up…"

"That's not the problem…" She put her head back down, whimpering. "I'm _hungry_. Haven't eaten for… five days…"

There was silence. After a moment, Kaden asked incredulously, "Five days?!"

"Yes… When I get near food, they come and eat it…"

Kaden glanced around, his eyes coming to rest on the nearby tree the Staravia had been swarming over. There were a few of the small red objects left in it, which I figured were probably edible, not knowing much about food sources on land. He went over to it and pulled three of the objects off, before going back over to the Togekiss.

She looked up in surprise as he put them in front of her. "What—"

"Here, you can have these. I think you'll feel better afterward."

She glanced at him, then stared at the three objects for a moment before attacking them ravenously. They didn't stand a chance.

After a few seconds, there was nothing left. The Togekiss wiped her face on the grass, then looked back up at Kaden and smiled. "Thank you."

I watched with curiosity as he turned slightly red. "You're welcome, I couldn't leave you here… What's your, um, name?"

"Yarona, what's yours?"

"Kaden." I noticed that he didn't introduce the rest of us, either because he didn't want to, or because he forgot.

I opened my mouth to say as much, when Avari motioned for me to be quiet. Closing my mouth, I glanced around in confusion as she and Jirachi moved back a few feet, taking me with them.

Avari and Jirachi looked like they were trying not to laugh. They continued watching Kaden and the Togekiss, Yarona, from behind the vegetation, and with nothing better to do, I decided to as well.


	7. Simcha

Chapter 7 – Simcha

**Chapter 7 – Simcha**

"Thank you again, then, Kaden." Yarona spread her wings, wincing slightly.

"Are you alright? Do you need anything?" Kaden watched with concern.

She shook her head slightly. "I'm fine, just sore… My feathers are all out of place, too." She then seemed to hesitate, turning slightly red, before saying shyly, "Could you, um, smooth them out? I can't reach them with my wings, it's uncomfortable and I can't fly like this…"

Kaden also turned red, but nodded. "Alright…"

He reached out with one claw, placing it gently on her back, and began to gingerly stroke her feathers. She flinched, and he quickly withdrew it. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

Yarona shook her head again. "It hurts a little, but I'll be alright… Thank you, please keep going."

"Um, okay…"

He continued to rub her feathers down, and she closed her eyes, flinching or quivering occasionally in discomfort. After a while, her feathers were no longer sticking up, and there were several loose yellowish feathers scattered around the grass.

"Thank you, I'm better now." Yarona looked up at Kaden and smiled as he stopped.

"Okay… Um, you're welcome." He was still red in the face.

She stood up shakily and spread her wings. "Thanks, I'll go now…"

Kaden suddenly looked alarmed. "Wait, you're not in any condition to—"

Yarona flapped her wings and took off, rising into the air. Kaden, and the rest of us, who were unnoticed, stared after her. After she was only a few feet off the ground, she suddenly gave out, falling back down.

Kaden cried out, lunging forward and catching her before she hit the ground, but was dragged down as well. He landed on his back, with Yarona on top of him. For several seconds, they were both stunned.

Finally, Yarona recovered, shaking her head to clear it, and then glanced down at Kaden. "Oh, I'm sorry…" She quickly slid off him.

Kaden groaned, lifting his head. "Ow…"

"Are… are you alright?"

He nodded, turning back over and floating upright. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Yarona folded her wings. "Good, I'm sorry… Thank you for catching me." She blushed.

Kaden also turned red again, looking at the ground. "No problem…"

After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "Um, what are you doing here? I mean, you're a Latios, and I don't know where they normally live, but I didn't think there were any near here…"

Kaden's face returned to its normal color as he answered. "Well, I came to visit a friend, and— Wait where did they go?" He suddenly realized that we were gone, and glanced around. We didn't move, and he didn't see us. Finally, he continued, puzzled. "They must not have caught up yet or something… But yeah, something happened, and so we came looking for the culprit. By the way, have you seen a Kecleon recently?"

Yarona shook her head, appearing sad suddenly. "No, I haven't seen any… You, um, your friend is a she?" She reddened again.

Kaden also reddened. "Um, yeah, but she's not like… She's a Mew."

Yarona blinked. "Oh." She then blushed further, staring at the ground.

Kaden suddenly asked, "So what are you doing here? I don't think Togekiss normally live here…" Mentally I congratulated myself on guessing correctly.

She looked up and seemed to hesitate. "Well, it's complicated…"

Kaden blinked. "Oh, okay, if you don't want to say, then that's fine."

"…I'd rather not say…"

There was silence for several moments again, as they both stared at the ground. Then Yarona suddenly moved toward Kaden and hugged him, wrapping her wings around him.

Startled, Kaden sank slightly toward the ground, but stopped himself before hitting it. This wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that this caused Yarona to lose her balance and fall backward, pulling him with her.

Yarona landed on her back, with Kaden on top of her. I winced sympathetically, considering that Kaden was larger than her and probably much heavier. After a moment, Kaden tried to move off her, but found that she was still hugging him and therefore his movements were restricted. He turned red, before saying hesitantly, "Um, Yarona, could you… let go of me?"

Yarona shook her head, dazed, then winced. "Ow. You're heavy." She didn't let go, though.

Kaden struggled for a second before giving up and relaxing again, though I noticed he was careful not to crush her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded slightly, then blushed as she apparently realized that she was still hugging him. "Oh, um…" She suddenly glanced at something to one side, and immediately let go.

Another creature entered my view in the direction she had glanced. It looked almost the same as her, only it was mostly white instead of yellowish like her. It landed, folded its wings, and stared at them.

Kaden also looked up and saw it. He quickly moved off Yarona, floating to one side. She turned over and stood up, facing the newcomer.

For several seconds, no one moved. Finally, Yarona said timidly, "Um, hi Simcha, what are you doing here?"

The other Togekiss stared at her. "I came looking for you. The question is, what are you _doing_ here?" Its voice was decidedly male.

She turned red. "I'm not doing anything…"

"Then who is he?" The other Togekiss, apparently named Simcha, gestured at Kaden with one wing.

"He just saved my life. Where have you been the last five days?" Yarona became suddenly defensive.

"Looking for you, like I said. Now I see I shouldn't have bothered, you don't really care about me. Like you said you did."

Everyone stared at Yarona. I heard Avari say into my mind, "This doesn't look good…"

Yarona shifted uncomfortably. "When did— Oh. Um…"

"I don't want to hear your excuses, liar. I'll go find someone who means what they say." With that, Simcha spread his wings and flew away.

We all stared after him. After a moment, Kaden turned to Yarona, and asked, "What was that about? Who is he?"

Yarona immediately burst into tears. Kaden was shocked, and glanced around guiltily before looking back at her with concern. "…Was it something I said?"

Yarona stopped crying, wiping her face on the grass again, and then shook her head. "No, you have a right to know… I'm sorry."

This was evidently not the response he had been expecting, judging by the look on his face. "Okay… What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, then looked away as if embarrassed. "Um… You see, there are a lot more male Togekiss than female, so there's, uh, a lot of… competition. And especially since I'm a special color…"

"Yeah, I noticed that, I thought all Togekiss were white, but you're yellowish…?"

Yarona glanced at him before staring at the ground again. "I don't know why, I was born this way. But because of that, all the males like me… They would follow me around, trying to impress me. I didn't like any of them, but eventually I got fed up and told Simcha I liked him, just so they would all stop. It was really stupid of me, I'm sorry… Especially since instead of leaving me alone, the others just got really angry. That's why I'm here, I left to get away from them…"

Kaden looked thoughtful for several moments, as he apparently processed this. Finally he said, "You shouldn't have done that. It was stupid."

Next to me, I heard Avari comment telepathically, "Kaden actually said something intelligent. The world is ending."

Yarona sniffled. "I know, I'm sorry, and for not telling you…"

Kaden continued, smiling slightly. "Don't worry, I've done stupid things, too. Everyone does. You just have to correct your mistakes and move on."

Now Jirachi commented dryly, "I see what you mean."

Avari giggled slightly, but quickly stopped, and the others didn't hear.

Yarona looked back up at him and blinked. "Oh. So you're not mad?"

Kaden shook his head. "No, it's fine."

Yarona then smiled again and blushed. "Good, because… I like you. Better than the others, anyway."

Kaden turned red, glancing away. "Well, um… I like you too, I guess…"

Then Avari said into my head, "Pretend you saw nothing." I was then lifted into the air.

I stifled a cry of surprise. "What—"

Avari laughed slightly, floating forward and motioning at Jirachi to follow. He glanced at me, then followed after her. I was pulled after them.


	8. Houndoom

Chapter 8 – Houndoom

**Chapter 8 – Houndoom**

Kaden and Yarona both looked up in surprise as we approached.

"Hi, there you are." Avari was grinning widely.

Kaden recovered quickly. "Oh, hi."

Jirachi then asked nonchalantly, "Who's this?" He gestured at the Togekiss, Yarona.

Kaden glanced at her, then looked back to us, smiling slightly. "This is Yarona. Yarona, these are my friends, Avari, Jirachi, and Takumi." He gestured at each of us in turn. Then he frowned, looking at Avari, who was apparently having trouble keeping in her laughter. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." She put on a straight face, with difficulty.

"Tell me." Kaden glared for a moment, then suddenly realized something. "Wait, where were you this entire time?"

Jirachi gave a small grin. "We were… around."

Kaden then glared at him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

Jirachi gestured behind us. "Back there."

Kaden immediately turned white. "…For how long?"

Avari giggled. "Long enough. So you finally…"

Kaden reddened. "Were you watching for this entire time?"

There was silence for several moments, before I said, "Yes."

Yarona blushed, and Kaden shot a lethal look at me while his red color deepened. "What?!"

I immediately regretted saying anything, covering my face with my arms as if that would keep him from killing me. "Don't hurt me, I didn't choose to…"

Jirachi sighed. "He's right, it wasn't his fault."

Kaden glanced between us numbly, as his face regained its normal coloring. After a moment, he spoke again. "…Wait, why didn't you help, then? With the Staravia, and the other Togekiss."

Avari laughed. "Well, you took care of the Staravia pretty quickly by yourself, and we thought it would be better if _you_ defended your girlfriend, anyway."

Yarona blushed further. "What, I'm not…"

Kaden also turned even redder, saying defensively, "What are you talking about?"

Avari giggled again. "And you were making fun of me and Jirachi…"

Then I cried out as sharp pain lanced through me, originating from my back. The world flashed red, followed by an unpleasant tingling feeling. I found suddenly that I couldn't move.

The next thing I knew, I was hitting the ground again. Rolling over and ignoring the pain, I looked up and saw what had attacked me.

A black head, with an orange muzzle and two ivory horns, snarled down at me. I gulped nervously, paralyzed with fear. Not that I could do much anyway, being on land.

The muzzle came down, grabbing my rock with its razor sharp teeth. I instinctively grabbed it as well, pulling on it as the creature tried to pull it away. "L-let go!" _Why do they always want the rock?_

It let go, and then bit down on my arm. I whimpered, flinching, as pain exploded through me.

Then Jirachi reappeared in my field of vision, grabbing the creature's jaws and attempting to pry them apart. It snarled, jerking away, and I cried out at the pain that resulted as it pulled my arm with it.

"Argh, what do we do?" Jirachi glanced behind him.

I flinched, battering the creature with my free arm. "Argh, help!"

Kaden and Avari appeared. Kaden glanced at me, then said apologetically, "This'll hurt, sorry."

My head snapped toward him in alarm. "What?"

He opened his mouth, and a blue pulse of light flew out, colliding with my attacker. I gasped as more pain exploded through my arm, before the creature let go and turned to Kaden, growling.

Avari's arm flashed white, and she dove at the creature, which I now saw was four-legged. Her arm connected with it, and it was sent flying into a tree. With a yelp it fell unconscious.

For a moment, no one moved, catching their breath. I quivered as I felt the tingling sensation again, then winced as pain lanced through my injured arm and body. I didn't look at myself, if I did I knew I would probably go into shock.

Then Avari glanced at Jirachi, before floating down to me. She landed on the grass beside me and glanced over me with concern, wincing sympathetically. "Ow."

Jirachi and Kaden lowered to the ground as well, both glancing at me before turning back to stare at the black quadruped creature guardedly. I sucked in a ragged breath, flinching. "I hate land." I coughed, pain lancing through me.

"…Jirachi, can you help him?" Avari glanced at the yellow Pokemon again, who nodded.

"Alright." He flashed white, blinding me instantly.

I felt like I was floating suddenly. _What's going on?_ Glancing down, I realized that I was not blinded, since I could see myself. Rather, I was surrounded by thousands of tiny glowing particles.

They swirled around me, and the pain faded. I almost didn't realize it, being so fascinated with the tiny lights. I thought I detected slight movement, like being washed back and forth by the waves and more gentle currents of the ocean. It was a familiar feeling, making me feel at home again. Closing my eyes, I floated there, imagining myself back in the ocean, where I belonged.

I was asleep almost immediately.

.

Glancing around, I realized that I was in the same room from before. The walls were rocky, but now I noticed something I hadn't before. There were several black objects scattered through the room. I could barely make out their shapes through the darkness, but I could tell they weren't natural.

A voice spoke into my mind, like in my other dream. "Takumi… Be on guard, for all is not as it seems… Secrets will be uncovered, secrets hidden for millennia. Who will help, who to trust? You must judge for yourself… You are charged with this task, you cannot escape your destiny. Already, the web of secrets has ensnared you. Be wary of its maker, the spider…"

The voice trailed off, and I fell back into dreamless sleep.

.

Groaning, I opened my eyes, blinking sleepily and glancing around. I was still in the same place, lying on the grass in the forest. The others were there as well, scattered around at varying intervals. As I stirred, they noticed and turned back toward me.

"Are you okay?" It was Yarona, the Togekiss. She watched me with concern.

I nodded, sitting up. "Yes, I'm…" I trailed off as I was suddenly besieged by thirst. "…thirsty. Is there any water…?"

Avari appeared to think for a moment. "There is that lake that you were at before, but we would lose the trail… Although we've pretty much lost it already. I would suggest someone stay here after we find the trail again, but we still don't know what to do with the Houndoom." She gestured at the black form that had attacked me, which was still lying unconscious nearby.

I sighed resignedly. "If I'm causing too many problems, you can always leave me behind. You all have helped me several times, and I haven't done anything for you except cause inconveniences."

She shook her head quickly. "No, you wouldn't survive long on your own… It's alright, we don't mind. We just have to figure out what to do with the Houndoom. Why did it attack you, do you know?"

I shook my head, glancing at the creature she called a "Houndoom". "No, but it seemed to want the rock. Just like the Kecleon…" I picked my rock up from where it had fallen nearby and studied it, as I had done many times before. I wasn't sure why, but there seemed to be something special about it…

"Why would anyone want it?" Jirachi moved forward, glancing at it. After a moment, he blinked and turned red as everyone stared at him. "Oh, sorry about how that sounded, but I mean, why do they want it? No offense, but it's just a rock, after all…"

I shook my head. "It's alright. I don't know why I carry it around, it was just a sort of interest item at first. But now I'm not so sure."

Kaden spoke up. "Why don't we split up? It's getting late, we can't stay here all day and talk about it. And Takumi is a Phione, he can't go for very long without water. Someone can take him to the lake, someone can stay and watch the Houndoom, and the others can find the Kecleon's trail. Or something like that."

There were a few seconds of silence as they all contemplated. Finally, Jirachi said dryly, "And he's acting mature again…"

Kaden glared. "What?"

Avari grinned. "Maybe it has something to do with your _girlfriend_…"

Kaden transferred his glare to her, while reddening deeply. "Now who's acting immature?" Yarona reddened just as much, matching him, but still didn't say anything.

Avari laughed and began to float away. "I'll go see if I can find the trail."

Jirachi moved a few feet away and settled back onto the grass, smiling. "I'll stay here," he volunteered.

There was a moment of awkward silence, as Kaden blinked. Finally he glanced at me and said, "Fine, I'll take him back. Yarona, where are you gonna go?"

The Togekiss in question looked up at him, before saying hesitantly, "I guess I'll go with you."

He nodded, beginning to fly away and ignoring Avari and Jirachi as they both laughed quietly. I was lifted into the air by a purple light, surprised at first that he could do it, too. But I simply waited, as I floated after him. Yarona took off and flew after me a moment later.


	9. Decisions

**Chapter 9 – Decisions**

"Hey, I just thought of something. We could take you back to the ocean and then catch up with the others, instead of just taking you to the lake."

I looked up as I stopped moving, seeing Kaden hovering in front of me. Yarona landed, glancing up at him as well. After a second, I processed what he'd said. "Oh, right, we could do that…"

Kaden watched me carefully. "Do you want to go back? I don't know why I didn't realize it before…"

I thought about that. Did I want to go back just yet? I had only just met my new friends, but then there was the fact that I was only being a burden to them, and there was Marina, who was probably worried sick about me… I felt a twinge of guilt, remembering her and wondering if she was alright after the storm, but then I recalled my dreams. "No, I'll go with you all, for a while at least. If it's not a problem, that is…"

Yarona shook her head. "No, I'm sure it won't be a problem."

Kaden glanced at her in mild surprise, then said, "Alright, you can come with us, Takumi. But first we have to get you to the water."

With that, we set off through the forest again.

After a few minutes, we broke out of the trees, seeing the lake spread out in front of us. Yarona landed in the grass on its edge, and Kaden psychically lowered me into the water. Gratefully I began to gulp lake water, enjoying the feel of cool wetness against my skin once again.

After a minute, Kaden glanced at the dark purple sky, saying, "It's going to be dark pretty soon. We might as well sleep here tonight, and find the others tomorrow morning. I don't really feel like stumbling around the forest at night."

I emerged partway from the water. "Alright, that's fine with me…"

Yarona looked slightly anxious. "What about your friends, can they take care of themselves? Will they be worried about us?"

Kaden lowered his gaze to her as he settling onto the grass. He smiled. "They'll be fine by themselves, but they might be a little worried. They'll probably figure out that we're staying here, though, so it should be okay."

She glanced at me, then nodded. "Alright." She laid down on her stomach a few feet away from him, closing her eyes in preparation for sleep. "Good night, then."

Kaden continued to watch her for a moment, before turning slightly red and looking away, closing his eyes as well. "G'night."

I glanced at them. "See you tomorrow…" I then submerged again, coming to rest on the bottom of the lake.

The small size of the lake still bothered me, but I soon managed to fall asleep despite it. My last thought was, _I hope Marina wasn't hurt in that storm…_

.

Opening my eyes, I took in my surroundings while simultaneously trying to wake up. The edges of the lake were still visible around me, light filtering down from above. Some Pokemon swam by, and I supposed they were on their way to finding food.

I yawned, forcing myself to move. First, I located some edible plants and quickly consumed them, feeling much better after having eaten something. Then I took one last look around, shivering with unease at the constraints of the lake, before inflating the sac on my head and rising to the surface.

Once I emerged into the air, I closed off my gills, switching to my lungs. I glanced at my surroundings, seeing the sun reflected on the surface of the lake. It was midmorning, by my reckoning. Kaden and Yarona were lying just past the edge of the lake, still asleep, in the same spots they had been when I had seen them last.

I decided not to disturb them, instead going to the shallows near them and poking in the mud. After a few seconds, I found my rock, still where I had placed it last night.

Washing the mud off it with lake water, I studied it absently, thinking. _What's so special about it? That Houndoom nearly killed me trying to get at it…_ Shuddering at the memory, I submerged again, to think quietly while I waited for the others to wake up. It wasn't as if I could actually go anywhere, anyway.

.

I glanced upward as I heard Kaden say into my mind, "Hey, are you there, Takumi?"

I rose to the surface of the lake, switching over to my lungs and taking in my surroundings once again. Kaden and Yarona were awake now, staring into the water, and they looked up as I emerged. I swam toward them, coming to the edge of the lake. "Of course I'm here, where could I go?"

Kaden nodded slightly, appearing thoughtful. "You know, if you really hate the land that much, we could drop you off in the ocean."

I shook my head. "No, that's okay. I want to stay for a little while longer, like I said yesterday."

"Well, okay, then, it's too late to change your mind now. We should get going and meet up with the others." He floated upward, beginning to fly back toward the trees. Yarona took off after him, and I was lifted into the air a moment later.

After about half an hour of searching through the woods, we found the others. They hadn't responded when we had called, because they were still asleep.

Kaden stared at them for a moment. "That's strange, they're both usually awake really early…" He glanced at me, and I was lowered to the grass, the purple glow dissipating. I sat up, supporting myself with my arms, and watched as he moved toward the curled-up form of Avari, tapping her with one claw.

She shifted and groaned, then opened her eyes, glancing around sleepily. After a moment, she noticed us, sitting up and snapping fully awake. "Oh, hi. Good morning."

Kaden smiled. "Why'd you sleep in so late today?"

She yawned. "I was tired, why else?"

Gesturing at Jirachi, who was still asleep a few feet away, Kaden grinned. "I thought you went to pick up the trail, what are you doing so close to him?"

Avari's face turned red. "I _did_ find the trail, then I came back…"

Kaden snickered. "Then—"

"Shut up, you can't talk now." Avari gestured at Yarona, who was watching in confusion.

Kaden turned red, now. "Yeah, well… Fine, where's the trail?"

Jirachi opened his eyes, yawning. "Hi everyone, what's up?"

There was an awkward silence for a moment. I finally decided to break it, answering, "Nothing."

Everyone turned to stare at me, and I flinched. "What?"

Jirachi glanced at the others confusedly. "Okay, well, shouldn't we go after that Kecleon trail again?"

I suddenly noticed something. "Hold on, where's the Houndoom?"

Another silence. Everyone looked around, seeing that the Houndoom was indeed gone, and then, aside from Jirachi himself, stared at Jirachi. He gave a sheepish grin. "Oh, um, oops?"

Avari began to float off through the trees. "Come on, let's go. I know where the trail is."

The others began to move off after her, Kaden glancing at Jirachi and saying, "It's fine, I guess, no one can expect you to stay awake all night."

Jirachi only nodded.

I watched as they disappeared from sight past the vegetation. Then, realizing that they weren't taking me with them, I called out, "Wait, you forgot me!"

There was no response.

You know how people say they have a "sinking" feeling in their stomach? It's a very accurate description. I groaned, wishing I had legs. After another moment, I tried again. "Hello?" Again, there was no response.

_Great. Please, this can't happen to me…_ Desperately, I pushed myself forward, falling onto my stomach, and started to try to drag myself forward with my arms. It wasn't exactly the best way to travel, but I knew that if I was left by myself here I would either die of dehydration or get eaten.

I had only gone a few inches when a motion to my right caught my attention. Looking up, I saw a Staravia, landing on the ground nearby. It looked at me, and I could have sworn it looked hungry.

I swallowed nervously.


	10. Buried Treasure

**Chapter 10 – Buried Treasure**

"Have you secured it?"

"No, I'm sorry. Some others interfered…"

"I see. Continue your attempts, and do not let them suspect anything. I must have it, I have waited too long for it to slip away once again…"

"Affirmative."

"End connection."

.

Unless you've been helpless and at the mercy of a hungry predator, you have never been truly afraid.

The Staravia hopped toward me. I stared at it with wide eyes, my throat suddenly dry. "Um, nice bird…"

It stopped a few feet away from me and stared at me for several long moments. Then it attacked.

I gave a muffled scream as the Staravia stabbed its beak into my back. Burying my face in the grass and shutting my eyes, I tried to ignore the agony, but didn't succeed, instead sobbing and writhing in pain as it ripped repeatedly at my exposed back. I covered my head and the back of my neck with my arms, knowing that I couldn't let it get to my throat.

Then it stopped, leaving only a throbbing pain in my back. I opened my eyes in confusion, lifting my face, which I now realized was stained with tears.

The Staravia was looking down at me, its beak stained red with my blood. Staring up at it, I whimpered pitifully, wondering why it had stopped and knowing that considering it was still there, I wouldn't like the answer.

"S-stop, please," I begged, not even knowing if it could understand me. It apparently didn't, because it gave no reaction.

After a moment, I spotted something a few feet away. It was a tree, raised partially above the ground, with roots forming a cage-like structure under it. Immediately I brightened, thinking that if I could get under it I would be safer. But then I moaned in despair as I realized that it was a few inches out of my reach. It would be very difficult just to get to it, and there was almost no chance of getting there before the Staravia killed me. I was tired, too, and dizzy from blood loss.

But still I tried, after all, I would definitely be killed if I didn't move, and a slim chance was better than none. Keeping my arms on the back of my neck to shield it, I started to wriggle toward the tree. I didn't go anywhere, unfortunately, but even more unfortunate was that the Staravia then nudged me with its beak, flipping me over.

I instantly realized why it had stopped. It decided that I wasn't dying quickly enough, and so had decided to go for my heart or throat, like I had figured. I quickly moved my arms to cover my chest, flinching as pressure was put on my damaged back.

The orange and black bloodstained beak flashed down, stabbing into my stomach area. I gasped, writhing, but kept my arms where they were. Next it moved to peck at my throat, but I shifted out of the way, barely dodging it.

The Staravia then bit down on one arm, hard. I gritted my teeth, struggling to keep both arms over my heart. _I can't expose that area… I can live without an arm._

Then the bird-like Pokemon placed one clawed foot over me to hold me in place, while still biting down on my arm. I gasped in pain. Now, the combination of all the injuries I had sustained, plus the weight of its foot and the sharp pain in my arm, became too much. My vision became clouded, as my body went limp, utterly defeated.

_No, I can't die now!_ I vaguely saw the Staravia let go of my arm, which fell limply to my side, followed by my other arm on my other side. The bird-like Pokemon raised its beak, stabbing toward my now exposed chest…

…And missed my heart, luckily. It still hurt, though, as it pierced through my skin once again. I screamed, writhing, and battered weakly at my attacker with one arm as it withdrew its beak. Then its foot slipped, probably on my blood, and the Staravia fell on me.

I had no time to brace myself. I gasped, trying to breathe, as it began struggling instinctually. A wing hit my face, and for a moment I had no idea where I was, there was only confusion and intense pain.

I felt a jarring thud, as my back collided with something forcefully. Collapsing to the ground and breathing heavily, I managed to analyze my surroundings after a moment. I had somehow ended up with my back against one root of the tree I had noticed earlier, the Staravia picking itself up a short distance away.

As it turned to me, I automatically wrapped one arm around the root behind me, turning myself around and, with a herculean effort fueled completely by my will to live, pulled myself between two roots and under the tree. I just barely fit, which was good, as that meant that it would be difficult for the Staravia to follow, being much larger than me.

Once I wedged myself under the tree, there was a groan from the ground underneath me, and it suddenly fell away. I cried out in alarm as I fell into darkness.

.

I groaned as I reawakened, never having been aware of falling unconscious. My entire body ached, but surprisingly I wasn't in as much pain as I should have been. I sensed that I was lying on my back, on a hard, rocky surface.

Opening my eyes, I was immediately dazzled by a bright light from above me. Quickly closing them again, I tried to assess my surroundings.

"Takumi, you're awake now. Are you alright?" The voice was inside my head. I recognized it, it was Avari's voice.

I thought for a moment, before responding. "I don't know… What happened?"

Now Kaden spoke. "We realized we'd… left you before too long, but we couldn't find you. Until we heard you screaming, then we followed your voice. There was a trail of blood, leading down here, so we came after you…"

Jirachi's voice came now. "I healed you, but I couldn't do it all the way since I wasn't completely recovered from doing it yesterday. You have scars now, and you'll probably be dizzy for a while. You lost a lot of blood, what happened?"

I processed this. "I was attacked by a Staravia. It wanted to eat me… Where are we? I went under the tree, and then…"

"We're in some sort of underground cavern." It was Yarona who answered. "It was under a tree, we had to uproot it to fit under."

"Oh." I tried to sit up, before I realized something. "Wait, my arm. Where is it?!" _I can't feel my right arm!_

I immediately opened my eyes, turning my head to my right. My arm was there, and unless I was mistaken, it was still connected to me. But I couldn't feel it, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't move it.

"Your arm?" Jirachi floated into my view, landing on the rocky floor next to me. "It's still there… It was bleeding pretty badly, though."

I reached over with my other arm, tapping my right one. I didn't register it at all. "Why can't I feel it?" With a feeling of growing dread, I proceeded to pound on my right arm as hard as I could, several times. Nothing.

Avari appeared now, alighting next to Jirachi. She watched me worriedly. "Don't do that, you'll hurt yourself."

I let my left arm fall back to my side. In a choked voice, I asked, "What's wrong with me?"

Jirachi glanced at my numb arm. "I don't know. I wasn't able to heal you all the way, like I said before… You can't feel it? It might be nerve damage… If it is, you probably won't be able to ever use it again, at least not as well as before."

I closed my eyes, whimpering in despair. "Then you might as well kill me now, I won't live long without it anyway. If I go back to the ocean, I'll just starve or get eaten because I can't swim."

There was a silence for a moment, before Avari answered. "Don't worry, we'll take care of you. It's our fault, we left you behind…"

"No, it's my fault, if I hadn't insisted on coming with you, it wouldn't have happened. I know I'm just slowing you all down, you should leave me here. …I don't know what I would tell Marina, anyway."

"Who?"

I opened my eyes, glancing around at the others. We were surrounded by rock, and a light shone down from above, providing just enough illumination to see by. The others watched me in curiosity, as they waited for my answer. "Marina, my friend. She's a Phione, too. I haven't seen her since that storm. I don't know if I could ever find her again, though, especially with my arm like this." I nudged my right arm with my left to prove my point, and like before I didn't feel anything.

There was a second of silence, before Kaden grinned. "Heh, so you have a girlfriend after all…"

I felt my face heat up as I processed that. "What, no, she's not…"

He sniggered. "You just turned red."

Jirachi glared at him. "Shut up, he just lost the use of his arm, too."

Kaden instantly looked contrite. "Oh, right. I'm sorry."

I sighed. "It's okay. I _do_ like her a little, I guess…"

There was an awkward silence, as I felt myself blush again. "What? …By the way, where are we?"

Avari stared at me. "Didn't we tell you, we're under that tree?"

"Yes, but it looks like some kind of cavern… What's it doing under the tree?"

Kaden shrugged, answering. "Who knows? It's all rock, though. We've only been here for a few minutes, and already we can tell that. It's not that large."

I sat up, supporting myself on my left arm. Glancing around the small black cavern, I frowned. "But something must have made it. The tree's roots couldn't have, it's all rock." I braced myself, reaching out toward a protruding rock nearby and using it to drag myself closer to a wall. I then, as the others looked on, tapped the aforementioned wall.

The wall immediately crumbled away, sending up a cloud of dust.


	11. Hidden Tomb

**Chapter 11 – Hidden Tomb**

I fell flat on my face, losing the wall's support. Instantly I heard several cries of surprise in my mind, emanating from the others.

After a moment of struggling in vain to turn myself over, I was surrounded by purple light and quickly flipped onto my back. Avari moved forward, glancing at me in concern, as Jirachi, Kaden, and Yarona stared at the yawning opening I had created.

I gave a weak smile, grunting as I sat up and supported myself with my left arm again. "Oops."

Glancing behind me, I took in only blackness. A breath of air escaped from the opening, carrying with it the barely detectable smell of decay. I shivered involuntarily.

"Hey, maybe we should go now…" Kaden stared into the darkness, appearing slightly nervous. "I don't like the looks of that…"

Avari nodded quickly. "Yes, let's go. We still have to follow that Kecleon, we've lost a lot of time." She didn't move, however, still staring into the hole behind me.

I flinched. "Sorry for slowing you all down, I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine." Jirachi gave a fleeting smile, then glanced around at the others. "Come on, let's go." He turned and began to move upward toward the opening above us.

Kaden, Avari, and Yarona snapped out of their almost trance-like state, nodding and moving up toward the sunlight, except for Yarona, who needed to take off. I felt myself rise into the air, following after them.

Then Jirachi stopped, right underneath the hole. He frowned, raising a hand and touching the yellow growth on top of his head. Everyone stopped, staring at him in confusion, as he flinched slightly a moment later.

"What…" Yarona started to ask.

Jirachi put his arms over his head. "It's starting to rain." He quickly moved out from under the opening. "Should we keep going in the rain? It might erase the tracks…"

Yarona immediately objected. "No, I can't fly if I get my wings wet."

Everyone stared at her, and she turned red, averting her gaze. "Well, if you want to go find the trail, you could leave me here…"

Kaden shook his head. "No, let's stay here and wait until it stops. I don't want to get my feathers wet, either."

After a moment, Jirachi nodded, sinking to the ground. "Okay, we'll stay here. We might be able to find the trail after it stops raining, anyway."

I was lowered to the floor, as Avari did the same. I glanced around at them uncertainly. "Um…"

Avari turned to glance at me. "What is it?"

Rain started coming through the hole, there were enough drops that it was visible now, though it was still a light drizzle. I nodded toward the damp ground under the opening. "Uh, could you move me over there? I just realized how dehydrated I am, so…"

She appeared slightly surprised, but nodded. "Alright, I guess you don't mind the water, after all."

I was encased in purple light, floating into the air and moving toward the rain. As soon as I reached the light spray of water, I instantly felt much better. I touched the ground, landing on my back, and smiled at her. "Thanks."

She smiled as well. "You're welcome."

I nodded, then closed my eyes and sighed. It felt good, to be in the water again. I didn't mind when the rain began to fall more forcefully, eventually becoming almost a deluge. In fact, I felt better than I had since morning, when I was at the lake.

But I also wondered how I was going to survive. I still felt nothing from my right arm, and unless I regained its use soon, which judging by my luck wasn't likely to happen, I wouldn't be able to swim in the ocean. It was a sobering thought, and I knew I wouldn't live long in all likelihood. I needed water to survive, but I couldn't swim, so I couldn't live in the water either. I whimpered as I realized I was out of options.

I sensed movement next to me, and I opened my eyes, glancing to my left. Avari was hovering there, just outside the path of the rain, holding something, and my eyes widened as I realized what it was. "My rock."

She nodded, putting it down next to me. "Yes, we found it around where the… bloodstains were."

I realized I'd completely forgotten it, which for some reason was something I knew I didn't want to do. "Oh, thanks."

She smiled, then moved back away, settling onto the rocky floor again. I reached out with my left arm, pulling the rock toward me, and studied it absently while thinking. I thought about nothing in general, just… things.

After a while, Kaden suddenly suggested, "Why don't we take a look in there?" He gestured at the black opening in the wall. "Maybe we can take shelter in there, it's still wet in here." His blue feathers were dripping water, I noticed, and I wondered how he'd gotten wet. Probably the rain splashed him.

A moment of consideration later, Jirachi nodded. "Alright."

Avari glanced between us and the opening I'd made in the wall. "…I'll stay here, I think…"

I looked at her in confusion. "Why?"

She appeared slightly nervous. "…I don't like dark places."

I blinked. "Oh."

Jirachi smiled reassuringly at her, then turned toward the opening. "Alright, let's see if it leads anywhere."

He, Kaden, and Yarona disappeared into the blackness.

Once they were gone, I sat up, leaning on my left elbow, and peered through the rain. "…I really am sorry for slowing you down… If it weren't for me, you would probably have found whoever was responsible by now."

Avari glanced at me. "That's probably true, but don't beat yourself up over it. There's nothing anyone can do about it now."

I looked down at my right arm, hanging limply next to me, and felt my eyes start to fill with tears. "S-still… I won't blame you if you want to… want to leave me behind. I-I'll die no matter what, so…" And then, even though I was trying not to, I began to cry.

She stared at me with a horrified expression. "No, you're not going to die. Don't worry, we'll take care of you, until your arm gets better."

"What if it doesn't?" I was never one to look on the "bright" side, you see.

She didn't say anything for a moment. "…I'm sure it will."

Nodding, I let the matter drop and quickly reigned in my emotions. "…Thanks."

Then I yelped in surprise as thunder boomed above me. Avari looked up, also, though she didn't seem nearly as frightened. I glanced up through the hole, seeing a dark, cloudy sky, and shifted nervously. "Um, can you get me out from under here?"

She looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Why? We're underground, with lots of trees around us. There's almost no chance of being struck by lightning… I thought you liked the rain?"

I swallowed, glancing back at her. "Says you, who isn't under the hole. I really don't want to take any chances with lightning…" The thunder came again, and I flinched.

She nodded, sighing. "Alright."

I was surrounded by a purple glow, and moved away from the hole in the "roof". Once I landed again, I smiled in relief. "Thank you."

Avari smiled back. "You're welcome."

Jirachi's voice suddenly entered my mind. "It's safe, why don't you two come back here?"

Avari's head snapped toward the black opening nearby. "Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

Jirachi appeared through the opening. He smiled reassuringly. "Yes, it's fine."

I looked up. "Do we… have to?" For some reason I couldn't explain, I didn't want to go in there…

They both glanced at me. After a moment, Jirachi asked, "Why not? It's drier than in here. And… something might come in here and attack you if we're not around."

I pushed away the feeling and nodded uncertainly. "Fine, I'll come." _Why am I hesitating? It's just the dark, there's nothing wrong with that… And besides, I'll be safer in there._

Avari sighed. "Alright, I'll go too, then. It _is_ a little uncomfortable, being so wet…"

Jirachi nodded, turning away. "Come on, follow me."

He disappeared into the darkness. Avari, staring after him, glanced back at me before taking a breath and plunging in as well. I waited for a moment, before I began to glow purple, rising into the air and moving into the cavern beyond. Almost instantly I was rendered blind.

The air was stale, carrying the smell of decay, which closed in on me and gave me the impression that it was a very small area. I felt panic start to rise up within me.

It wasn't helped by the fact that the next moment I landed on the ground again. I collapsed immediately, shutting my eyes tightly, and tried to curl up into a ball.

"Takumi, what's wrong?" Jirachi's voice came to me in my head.

I whimpered. "It's too small, I can't breathe…"

He spoke again after a moment. "…You're claustrophobic?"

"I don't know! Just help me!" I choked out in response. It felt almost like the room was getting smaller, closing in on me…

I opened my eyes, seeing nothing. There was nothing, the darkness was everywhere, almost like something solid, confining me. _It's alright,_ I tried to tell myself. _Nothing bad will happen. It's bigger than you think…_

My eyes caught a glint of light from beside me. Curiosity overcoming my fear, I focused on it, taking several deep breaths to calm myself.

It was a dull light, as if it were reflecting off something. Reaching out with my arm, I touched it. It was smooth, and cool to the touch.

"Takumi? Are you okay?" Kaden asked, with some concern.

I took another deep breath. "Yes, I'm fine now." My voice was quavering, though.

I continued to study the shiny object. Using my arm, I felt along it, trying to determine its shape. It was somewhat round, with several small gaps in it. One of the wider gaps had serrated edges. Frowning, I tried to visualize it in my head.

"Hey, there's something…" My voice died in my throat as I realized suddenly exactly what it was I was touching. I froze. "Uh, I think you guys should see this…"

"What is it?" Jirachi's voice came, as something moved in the darkness beside me. "Hey, it's something shiny…"

I nodded slowly, forgetting no one could see me. "Yes. It's… a skull. And it's _right next to me_." I was trying not to scream.

"What?!" came several telepathic cries at once.

"It's a skull, I don't know what of." I finally unfroze enough to pull my arm away, wiping it on the rocky walls as if it were contaminated. "…I think there's an entire skeleton, too… This isn't just a cavern, it's a _tomb_."

Right after I said that, Avari gave a cry of surprise, and the small, dark room lit up.


	12. Execution

**Chapter 12 – Execution**

I blinked, momentarily blinded. "Wha—"

There were several whirring noises from all around me. I closed my eyes, tears filling them at the sudden exposure.

After a few moments, I opened my eyes again, blinking, and glanced around the small cavern. It was the same as before, only I could see now.

The cavern was indeed small, though not as small as I'd thought. Next to me, a small white skeleton about the same size as me was revealed. However, that was not what startled me. Several objects with square edges were scattered around the perimeter of the room, covered with a thick layer of dust. They were the source of the light, which though it wasn't very strong was just enough to allow me to see by and to hurt my eyes. Small spots of light appeared and disappeared under the layers of dust, and I saw that the objects were also the source of the whirring noises.

Kaden and Yarona were settled with their wings folded in one corner of the room, Jirachi was floating near me, and Avari was across the room from us. She was hovering, frozen, next to one of the dust covered objects, her tail touching its side.

No one moved for a second. Then Avari, with a small squeak, darted away from the whirring, glowing things, coming to a stop next to me and turning to stare at them with wide eyes, like the rest of us.

"What in…" Kaden trailed off as an image appeared in the center of the small cavern.

It was fuzzy, with parts missing, but other than that it was completely realistic. It showed what looked like a fish-eye view of a room, one that looked very much like the one we were in. It was slightly disorienting.

In the circular image was a small pink figure; a Mew. It was floating in front of some sort of machine, looking not at us but at the machine.

For a while, it stayed like that, occasionally twitching or fidgeting. I finally recovered from my shock enough to open my mouth. "What is it?"

The others, except for Yarona, who looked as confused as me, glanced at each other. Jirachi answered, shrugging slightly. "It looks like a message, we found something like this before, a year ago…"

Our attention was then diverted as a noise came from the angular, dust-covered objects around us. In the image, the Mew spun around, still apparently ignoring us.

A voice entered my mind, somehow coming from the image. It was masculine, but slightly higher than even Jirachi's, and it sounded surprised and fearful. "You, how…"

The Mew was looking at something that we couldn't see, past the edge of the image. After a moment, another telepathic voice came from the image, low and unemotional. "You left a trail, Avadis."

The Mew continued to stare. I had now connected the first voice to the Mew, but who did the second belong to? The Mew spoke again. "No, I didn't… W-what do you want, Tabor?"

Avari gave a small gasp of recognition, causing me to glance at her. She was staring intently at the image, and after a moment I returned my attention to it as the second voice spoke again. "You know exactly what I want."

Another creature entered the image. It was tall, much larger than the Mew, and colored purple with green and black markings on its body. Two large wings extended from its back, and a purple beak and taloned feet completed the bird-like appearance. A long, ropy tail extended behind it, and its arms ended in sharp black claws. A green patch covered one eye, while the other was yellow and glaring. The creature was completely different from anything I had ever seen, I wasn't even sure if it was a Pokemon.

The Mew backed away, flattening himself against the machine behind him. He shook visibly. "Yes, I do. You can't have them. _Murderer_." The last word was spiteful.

The other creature shifted its wings, making a strange sound that reminded me of the wind blowing through a tree's leaves. "That is a very unpleasant label."

"Yes, it is. Therefore, it suits you perfectly."

The one yellow eye narrowed. "You know that you cannot defeat me, I am stronger than you. _Therefore_, you would do well to remember that you are at my mercy. And besides, it was a war, my actions are perfectly justified."

The Mew shook his head angrily. "There was no war, that was a massacre. You murdered my sister, and then you stole ZR03. You killed everyone."

"Your sister happened to be one of the key pieces in my plan, but when she refused to cooperate I was forced to destroy her to prevent her from messing with my plan further. You see, friend," the winged creature said, moving closer to the Mew, "when people annoy me, I eliminate them. Your sister annoyed me, and was eliminated, the High Council annoyed me, and were eliminated, and now that you have annoyed me…" The threat was left hanging.

The Mew flinched. "I-I couldn't let you keep ZR03."

The purple, green and black figure stopped right in front of the Mew, watching dispassionately as he cowered in fear. "ZR03 was the key to my plan, and you took it from me. It will take a very long time to find that key. …Tell me, how _did_ you sneak into my ship?"

The Mew took a breath, trying to shift nonchalantly away from the other creature. "I just disarmed the security, it wasn't that hard, really…"

One yellow eye flashed. "I see. Well, in any case, I've decided I won't kill you."

The Mew froze, staring in confusion. "W-what?"

"Do you mean you wish for me to kill you? I can arrange that…"

"No! Don't! But…" The Mew took a breath. "What do you mean? Why are you keeping me alive?"

The other figure laughed telepathically. It was a completely emotionless laugh. "When did I say I would keep you alive? I only said that _I_ would not kill you."

There was a moment of silence, as the Mew apparently processed that. Finally, he gave a groan of despair. "What are you planning?"

The bird-like creature glanced around the small room. "Let me see… By taking that key from me, you left me to rot in powerlessness, so it's only fair that I leave you to rot here." It moved toward one machine. "Of course, if you give me what I want, I may take you with me when I leave…"

The Mew swallowed. "I… I can't do that…"

The other figure shrugged. "Very well, it's your life."

It then gestured with one claw, and all of the machines stopped blinking and making their various noises. "I can't leave you a way out, can I? This room will be completely sealed once I leave. You already were so kind as to corner yourself in a place with only one way out."

The Mew sank to the floor. "Wait, you… You're just going to leave me here? Without water or anything?"

The other creature nodded casually. "Yes. Don't worry, you'll be miserable for a while, but it'll all be over in a few days. I think you'll give in to dehydration first, though if you manage to survive for long enough you may use up all the air, and suffocate first."

"You… Please, don't…"

"And why not? You have refused to give me what I want, so I may as well kill you. Farewell, Avadis."

The purple winged creature moved out of the boundaries of the image and disappeared. The Mew was left staring after it numbly. A few noises that I didn't recognize came, and then there was silence.

The Mew in the image was still for several moments. Finally, he curled up into a ball on the ground, sighing despondently. "I'm sorry, Avi…"

The image flickered out of existence, and then reappeared. The Mew raised his head, looking up and directly at us. I figured he was looking at whatever was recording this. After a second, he put his head back down.

Then the image winked and disappeared, and the machines that surrounded us fell silent. The image did not reappear.


	13. Avadis

**Chapter 13 – Avadis**

I blinked, then looked around at the others. They looked as confused as I was. Maybe slightly less, which was strange.

"What was that?" I finally put the question into words.

There was a short silence. Then, Yarona answered. "Don't look at me…"

Avari then spoke, giving a slightly more useful answer. "I recognized one of the names mentioned." She stared at the space where the image had been.

I leaned against a wall, deciding we weren't likely to be going anywhere soon. "And…? Which one was it?"

"Tabor." She turned toward me, her expression sorrowful. "Last year, we," here she gestured at Kaden, Jirachi, and herself, "found another message, similar to this. It mentioned a Pokemon named Tabor. But it was recorded fifteen thousand years ago…"

"So, this might be the same Tabor? What did this message say about him?" I was curious.

"It said…" She hesitated for several moments. I couldn't understand why she was struggling with what to say, but finally she continued. "Tabor was an evil Pokemon, who wanted to pretty much take over the world."

When she was silent again, I realized that she was done explaining. I sensed that there was something I wasn't being told, though. When I glanced at Jirachi and Kaden, too, they looked away. "I see… So, the Mew in this message called the purple thing 'Tabor'. Could it be the same one? This place certainly looks like it could be fifteen thousand years old."

She nodded uncertainly. "I didn't see what this 'Tabor' looked like before, so I guess that could be him… Why don't we look around here, and see if there's anything else?" She gestured at the dust-covered machines, which were still flashing faintly, though they weren't making any noise.

Jirachi nodded, moving toward one of them. "Let's see what we can find. This could be important…"

I then noticed the skeleton next to me again. Now that there was a small amount of light, I could tell its basic shape. Squinting through the gloom, I tried to ascertain its identity, ignoring the creepy fact that it appeared to be staring at me. "It has a… tail…"

Everyone stopped and looked at me, then at the skeleton. Finally, Kaden said thoughtfully, "The place in that message looked like this room…" He gestured at the bones. "So this is probably… that Mew."

There was a heavy silence for a moment, before Jirachi nodded. "It's the right size, and shape…"

I shivered. "Buried alive. I wouldn't want to die _that_ way…"

The machines suddenly began to whir again, surprising all of us and making us jump.

"What the—" Kaden started, stopping as a grinding noise came from behind a nearby machine.

We turned toward that machine and stared, as it began to move to one side, slowly revealing an opening behind it. Once the opening was completely uncovered, it stopped moving. Immediately all of the machines went silent once again.

Yet we continued to stare. For, in this opening behind the machine, was a large black figure. It looked vaguely like a human, though it was much more angular. The opening itself was only a dent in the wall, having held this figure in a sort of pocket.

There were several long moments of speechlessness. Finally, I asked uncertainly, "Uh, what is it?"

"I don't know, but maybe we should get out of here. After that message, I don't think I want to be here anymore." Avari shivered, glancing around apprehensively.

"I think you're just afraid of the dark," Kaden said, grinning but also appearing unsettled as well.

"No, I'm not," she said defensively, but without conviction.

Then the still, apparently inanimate figure in front of us began to make whirring noises. Immediately, all of our attention was directed at it, as it shifted. Two glowing yellow points appeared near the top, in the apparent head, which looked almost exactly like eyes.

There was a moment of shocked silence, and then it spoke telepathically. Its "voice" was very familiar.

"Avari?"

There was another moment of awkward silence. Avari backed up. "Who are you? What are you? And how do you know my name?"

It stood up on two leg-like protrusions, its yellow eye-like points staring directly at her. "No, you're not her... Fifteen thousand years, that's how long ago I was created. It's been that long? And there are still Mew. I'm sorry, my name is Avadis. I'm a Mew; at least I was."

Another awkward silence. Then Jirachi moved forward warily. "You don't look like a Mew."

The yellow eyes turned toward him. "No, this isn't me. The real me is dead, for over fifteen thousand years. I copied my mind into this robot. I was a scientist, you see. But this method has never been tested before, so I suppose I'm lucky that everything seems to be working. Then again, only my mind is here, only very primal emotions remain. In any case..." The robot, apparently named Avadis, stopped as he caught sight of me.

I stared at him, suddenly feeling an urge to bolt. But I couldn't, I was helpless on land... "W-what? Why are you looking at me?"

He continued to stare at me. The others glanced at me in confusion, moving back from the robot. Finally Avadis spoke again, gesturing with one arm. "Where did you find that?"

I glanced down, realizing that my black rock was on the ground next to me. Avari must have brought it as well when she brought me. "Um, this? It was in the ocean..." I looked back up, bewildered.

Avadis didn't move. "Do you know what it is?"

"Uh, an interesting rock?"

"No. That is something I hoped to never see again. It is a cursed thing. It caused the deaths of many, including... including myself. ...I need to know everything that's happened since you found it."

Glancing at the others in confusion, I began to tell him about how and where I found it, and the events up until I was washed onto the beach. Then the others helped fill in any holes, until the entire story was out.

Once we finished, the robot was silent for a moment before speaking. "...It seems that you can be trusted with it. But it also seems that others are already after it. You should not have taken it, but that can't be helped now. It has probably already been detected, so putting it back now would be futile. It must be destroyed. But when I made it, I designed it to be nearly indestructible... I'll come with you to help you with it. This body is useless, so I can't take it to defend it myself, and I know nothing about this planet now. But you probably don't know what you're up against, so..."

I blinked. Information overload. "Wait, what is it?"

The yellow eyes transferred from the rock to my face. "It is a key. With it, one can control ZR03."

"...What's ZR03?"

Avadis hesitated. "I would rather not tell you, considering you have the key to controlling it..."

"Oh." I glanced back down at the rock, picking it up and feeling its various grooves and niches.

Avadis glanced at the others. "May I come with you?"

Kaden shrugged, and Avari and Jirachi looked at each other momentarily before nodding. Jirachi spoke for all of us. "I'm not sure if we can trust you, but we have good reason to."

"Really?" Avadis sounded curious. "And what is that reason?"

Yarona interrupted with an observation. "It's, um, stopped raining now."

There was silence for a moment. Finally, Avari looked around and commented, "Why don't we talk about this aboveground? Not that it isn't fun here."

After a second, Avadis spoke again, sounding confused this time. "Aboveground? This was a hillside last I checked."

Jirachi shook his head. "Well, it's not anymore. Come on."

Soon, we had vacated the underground chamber, leaving behind its lonely dust-covered machines, and the skeleton of its occupant.


	14. Revelations

**Chapter 14 – Revelations**

"Explain."

Avadis looked at Jirachi. "What should I explain?"

"If you're going to come with us, we need to know who you are, and what you were doing underground like that." Jirachi took a breath. "We saw something down there, a sort of recording…"

Avadis nodded, looking around to take in the scenery once more. We were back aboveground, near the hole I'd fallen into. Glancing at the grass and noticing that several patches were stained red, I winced, remembering what had caused me to fall into the hole.

Finally, Avadis spoke telepathically once more. "Like I said before, I am— was— a scientist. I was nine of this planet's years old when I, well, died. But I managed to make this robot, and put my mind into it, because I knew the key wasn't safe. You see, I was born on another planet, and I came here with my sister eventually when we had to get away from Tabor. Tabor was a Pokemon, but he wanted power." He glanced at Avari. "I knew your name because it was my sister's name. See, she had some sort of inherent ability, which would allow her to control certain creatures. I found it by accident, and then later discovered what it was for. At least partially. I still don't know completely what she could do. But I, well, I mentioned it to Tabor, and so he tried to kidnap her. Apparently he knew more about it than me, because it was described in old mythology and such. In any case, we left the planet, along with a few friends, but were eventually separated. I tried to find her again, but by the time I did it was too late, Tabor had already killed her. And then, Tabor stole ZR03 from me. He used it to destroy our home planet, why I don't know. But then I got into his spaceship, which was his sort of headquarters, and took the key back. One of Tabor's cronies saw me on the way out, but I managed to throw the key into the ocean and still get away. Then I came back here." He gestured at the hole in the ground. "And eventually Tabor found me, sealed me in, and I suffocated."

We stared. I don't know what the others were thinking, but I was wondering how he could say this so emotionlessly. Finally, I ventured, "So, this thing I found, it can destroy a planet?"

Avadis nodded. "It is used to activate ZR03."

"…And you still won't tell me what ZR03 is?"

"Correct."

"Ah."

"Anyway," Kaden interrupted, "We have something we probably should tell you."

Avadis turned to look at him, answering in a voice that sounded mildly curious. "What is it?"

"We know a little bit about what you told us. Go on, tell him, Avari. You can explain it the best." He nodded at Avari.

Avari glanced at him, then at Avadis. "Well, you see, that ability your sister had… I have it, too."

Avadis stared. "What? How did that happen? How did you find out?"

She gave a small laugh. "Well, I found a message recorded fifteen thousand years ago, by another Mew, who had the same name as me. I'm thinking it was your sister."

"My sister… Avi? What did she say?"

We stared. Finally, Jirachi asked, "Uh, is that a nickname or something?"

Avadis looked at the ground. "Oh, yeah, it is. Sorry."

"At least it's not as bad as what Marina calls me…" I muttered.

"Marina? What _does_ she call you?"

I looked up in surprise, turning red as I located Kaden, who had asked the question. "Wha— Uh, never mind. Pretend I never said anything." I quickly looked back down at the grass resolutely.

"Aw, come on."

Glancing back up at the others for a moment, I saw that they were all watching me expectantly. I closed my eyes, swallowing, then answered embarrassedly, "Um… Kumi."

There was an ominous silence. Finally, Kaden started to laugh, and I opened my eyes, glaring at him. "What, you think it was my idea?"

He stopped laughing. "No, sorry. It's just funny that… Heh."

Jirachi cut in. "Stop it, Kaden."

Quickly interjecting, Avari continued her account. "Well, the message basically said the same things you just told us, only not as much. She _did_ say she was the only one left, though."

Avadis nodded. "Yes, she thought she was the only one of our group left alive. Obviously she wasn't, but when we were separated I couldn't find her. Probably because she was hiding from Tabor, like I was. I suspect, though, that there might have been some others, considering you're here fifteen thousand years later…"

"Yeah, about that." I shifted slightly to try to take some of my weight off my left arm, then continued. "You said you came from another planet. Do you mean we're all aliens?"

He nodded again. "Yes, I suppose you could put it that way. I think you may be descendants of either some of Tabor's minions or of some of my and Avari's friends who managed to survive. Are there others like you? Any other sentient species?"

I glanced at the others, most of whom shrugged, then answered, "Yes, there are lots of others…" _How exactly do you react when someone tells you you're an alien?_

Avadis was silent for several moments, before he looked around the forest again. "It seems that this planet has changed quite a bit in fifteen thousand years. Ah well, I can learn as I go. In any case, what brought you underground to my… tomb?"

Avari spoke this time, gesturing at me. "Well, he fell down there, and we went after him. Then we sort of stumbled over you…" Gesturing at the blood stains on the grass, she continued apologetically, "You see, we accidentally left him behind, and he was attacked by… a predator, and he went under a tree. And then I guess he fell under there?"

I nodded. "I tried to get shelter under the tree, because it was raised up on its roots a bit, and the space under it was just big enough for me. But then the ground under it gave out."

"I see." Avadis glanced at me, then asked, "Where were you going?"

There was a stunned silence as we all remembered. Finally, Kaden exclaimed, "The trail! It'll be gone now because of the rain…"

Avadis looked at him. "You were trailing this… Kecleon, correct? I may be able to find the trail again, this body has some enhanced senses."

"You could?" Jirachi glanced at the trees, appearing to think for a moment. "…Well, then, could you help us?"

Avadis nodded. "Show me where the trail was before."

Avari looked at the vegetation around us, then began to float off. "This way."

After a few minutes of following her around, she stopped. "I think I found it around here…"

Avadis looked at the grass intently for a moment, before turning and gesturing in a direction. "I don't recognize the creature, but it went that way."

We turned to look in the indicated direction. Then, Jirachi nodded. "Thanks. Let's go."

We again set off, this time with an idea of where we were heading.


	15. Eterna City

**Chapter 15 – Eterna City**

Avari suddenly stopped, saying, "Wait, this is the way to that human city, it's just ahead."

Everyone else stopped, Kaden and Yarona landing and me being lowered to the grass. Jirachi looked at her momentarily, then in the direction we had been going. "You're right. What now?"

Avadis watched us curiously. "What are these 'humans'?"

I quickly explained. "Well, they're other creatures like us. But they… they're at the top of the food chain, I guess you could say."

He was silent for several seconds as he absorbed that information. "…What do they look like?"

I tried to picture one in my head. Not having seen very many humans myself, this was harder than it sounds. "Um, they have two arms, and two legs…"

He nodded. "Oh, so that's them. I remember some creatures that seemed a little more intelligent than the others. They're native to this planet, right?"

I shrugged (with one shoulder… ugh), and laughed slightly. "Well, I thought _I_ was native to this planet, until you told me otherwise…"

"Alright, are they dangerous?"

I thought about that. "Well, I guess so… They can't hurt you themselves, but they've got all sorts of machines to do it for them…"

"Then there is reason for caution?"

"Yes."

He appeared thoughtful for a moment. "…So, we should try to avoid them."

I nodded. "Yes, probably."

"Then, let's go and see what we can do." He started off through the trees. The rest of us looked at each other, before following resignedly.

After we had gone a distance, Avadis stopped. "There are signs of some sort of civilization just ahead, past these trees. Is it the human settlement you mentioned?"

Jirachi moved forward, peering through the vegetation ahead. Momentarily, he spoke. "Yeah, that's it."

"So, any idea where the Kecleon or my parents could be?" Avari asked, sounding anxious. She moved forward to try to look as well.

Jirachi shook his head, turning back to us. "I don't know, there are just a lot of buildings. They're all the same to me. The question is, how will we find out what we need to know?"

I got an idea. "The humans will probably try to capture us if they see us, but what if we looked like them?" I looked pointedly at Avari. "You're a Mew, aren't Mew supposed to be able to transform into other creatures?"

She turned toward me, glancing uneasily between the others of our group as they watched her for a reaction. "Well, I, um, actually don't know how to…" She gave a small, embarrassed laugh.

I stared, feeling my hopes fade. "Oh, well, it was an idea…"

We were silent for a moment, thinking. Then Kaden moved forward. "Uh, I might be able to help. See, I can sort of change what I look like with my feathers. I need something to look at, though, and it takes a lot of concentration…"

Jirachi looked at him dubiously. "You can?"

He nodded. "Here, let me show you."

He put his head into the vegetation, apparently looking through it at the humans' city. After several moments, his body blurred strangely, colors mixing and swirling. The colors continued to shift for a second, before finally resolving into a solid shape.

We stared as the human turned to us, and Kaden's telepathic voice spoke. "See? It takes some effort, though…" The human's mouth never moved.

It had long brown hair, and dark eyes, with slightly off-white skin, over which it was wearing green and blue clothing. I spoke finally, pointing something out. "Um, Kaden? I think that's a _female_ human…"

It didn't move, but after an awkward moment Kaden answered, sounding a little embarrassed. "Oh, you're right…"

This human then moved into the bushes between us and the city, strangely doing so without moving at all. A minute later, another human emerged. This time, I was pretty sure it was a male human, which was appropriate considering Kaden was male.

It looked at us with its brown eyes, still as immobile as the other. "Better?"

We all nodded. Then Avari spoke up hesitantly. "Uh, Kaden? Could you maybe animate it a little more? It's sort of creepy, and I don't think it'll fool any of the humans…"

The human blinked. "Yeah, I know, but it's hard to make it move… I have to shift all of my feathers just right. And since it's just an image, I'll have to make sure not to go through anything or, since I'm bigger than it, hit anyone with my real body. But other than that, I should be alright… I can make it seem like it's talking by moving the mouth while talking with my mind."

Jirachi looked over the human image worriedly. "Are you sure about this? We don't want you to get captured…"

It nodded. "I'll be fine. This is the only way, after all."

Yarona moved forward, speaking for the first time in a while. "Be careful."

Kaden looked at her with his disguise, making it smile reassuringly. "Don't worry, I will."

Then he turned and disappeared into the bushes, passing into the city.

As soon as he was gone, everyone who was floating, including me, dropped to the grass to wait. With some effort, I managed to sit up against a tree and glared at my dead arm. Then I sighed, turning to the large black robot that was watching nearby. "What do we do after this?"

He looked at me and shrugged. "I don't know. That key," he gestured at the black "rock" on the ground next to me, "is virtually indestructible. I know, because I made it. Without certain materials that I'm pretty sure aren't found on this planet, I can't do anything to it."

I nodded thoughtfully, then glanced upward. Orange light was filtering through the leaves from above, giving everything a strange hue and making it seem almost surreal. "It's going to be dark soon."

Yarona nodded. "Let's hope Kaden gets back before then…"

.

Kaden looked up, or at least the image he was projecting did. _It's getting dark, and I still haven't found anything… I can't go back empty-handed. They're counting on me._

He yawned involuntarily, the action causing the area near his head to blur strangely. Quickly, he closed his mouth, returning to normal and glancing around at the buildings. No one was nearby, luckily.

_Have to be careful about that…_ He looked down, and, upon realizing that he was sweating profusely and causing his illusion to blur, quickly compensated. _Gotta be careful about that, too._

Moving on, he passed between two grayish buildings. Then he stopped in surprise, as a figure appeared in front of him, standing just at the opposite end of the small alleyway. Since it was dark, he couldn't make out its features.

Cautiously, he called out telepathically, making his "mouth" move to match the words. "Uh, hello?"

The figure began to move closer to him. Nervously, Kaden began to back away. _If I touch someone, it'll ruin my disguise…_

Then the figure spoke, stopping a few feet away from him. "I know who you are."

He froze for a moment, before relaxing. _They must know whoever I modeled this on._ "You do?"

The figure nodded, still wreathed in shadows. It lifted one arm, something shiny held in its hand. "Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you… _Latios_."

That was when Kaden knew he was in trouble. "Hold on, I'm not…"

"You can't fool me."

The other figure raised the shiny thing, pointing it at him. Conveniently, it happened to be aimed right at his invisible head, just above his illusive one. He gulped. "Wait a second, w-what do you want?"

"Don't move, or I'll shoot."

_That doesn't answer my question…_ Kaden tried to think of a way out. How did the human know what he was? And how could he escape? He found that he was reluctant to harm the human, but still… Eventually he came to a decision.

He concentrated, and as his concentration shifted from maintaining his disguise, it began to blur and fall apart. He focused on a psychic attack on the human in front of him, ignoring the fact that he now no longer even resembled a human. There was no one around to see, after all, and he could change it back after he got away.

Immediately, there was a loud popping noise, and something flew from the shiny object the human was holding. Kaden stiffened as he felt something prick his skin on his forehead, and then he began to weaken. He realized what was happening and turned to try to get away, his thinking muddled, and barely registered another figure at the other end of the alleyway. Spreading his wings and abandoning the illusion altogether, he flew directly at it, only to feel another prick, on his arm this time.

The resulting wave of weakness made him fall to the ground. Looking up a moment later, he saw the two humans approaching and whimpered in fear, attempting to crawl away weakly with his front arms. But then something pierced his skin again, on his back now, and he collapsed, unable to do anything but look up at his captors fearfully. A moment later, he closed his eyes resignedly and fell unconscious.


	16. Pluto

**Chapter 16 – Pluto**

I drifted awake, resisting for a moment before forcing my eyes open. I was met with an image of leaves and branches above me, and light barely filtering between them. Groaning, I sat up, leaning on my left arm, and blinked.

_Is it morning already?_ My eyes drifted around the forest, picking out the shapes of my companions. Generally, I was the first one awake. However, today someone else was watching me, standing only a few feet away, immobile as stone. I looked up at Avadis, and his yellow eyes met mine.

"G'morning," I yawned.

He nodded. "Yes. It would be a good morning, if your friend had made it back already."

I froze. "Wait, he's not back yet?" Glancing around once more, I noticed that Kaden was indeed not among my other friends.

Avadis nodded again. "We may need to go find him. He might have gotten lost, or something like that."

This worried me. "Should we wake up the others?"

He thought for a moment. "…No, let's wait a little more.

"Alright," I reluctantly agreed.

At that moment, something large crashed through the vegetation behind me, flying over my head and stopping to fall unceremoniously to the grass in front of Avadis. We both stared at it in surprise. It was Kaden.

He was breathing heavily, sprawled on the grass, and after a moment he looked up at first Avadis, then me, and smiled weakly. "Hi."

The others woke up then, sitting up and glancing around in confusion. Immediately, when they noticed Kaden, they stared. He shot a glance at them, giving another smile.

"What happened?" Yarona asked worriedly, moving toward him slightly.

He sighed, resting his head back on the grass. "I… There were some people there, I didn't recognize them, but they shot something at me that must have drugged me or something. When I woke up, I was in a cage, in a room. I broke it and got away, but barely." He winced.

"…Did you find my parents?" Avari inquired, floating into the air.

He nodded slightly. "Yes, they were there in that room with me, also in cages… They were unconscious, though."

A twig broke behind me in the bushes, and everyone turned. I had to make do with twisting my head around, though.

I then screamed as a million volts of electricity hit me and ran through my body. It stopped after a moment, and I fell onto my back limply, too weak to move.

There were noises around me, although I couldn't identify them, and then suddenly I was being picked up by something cold and hard. It took me a moment to realize that it was Avadis, holding me with one arm.

A voice spoke, one that was completely unfamiliar. "Give me the Phione."

I turned my head to look at the speaker. Standing partially inside the vegetation was a human. He was shorter than most humans I'd seen, with pinkish-gray hair and those weird glass things that humans sometimes wear on their faces. Floating next to him was an orange-colored creature, which was essentially a ball with a face and a spike on the top and a small bulb-like protrusion on the bottom. Its body was crackling and glowing with what appeared to be electricity, and I figured it was what tried to electrocute me. I didn't recognize it, though.

Avadis shook his head. "Why would you want him?"

"Thanks," I muttered under my breath. Avari, Jirachi, Kaden, and Yarona were in front of Avadis and me, floating or in Yarona's case just standing.

The man didn't move, apparently not even phased by the presence of a six-foot-tall robot, a Mew, and a Latios. "He has something I want."

"But I don't have anything," I protested, then froze in realization. "…Except…"

Avadis held up the small black rock with his other arm. "This?"

The man's eyes narrowed. "Who are you? And what are you?"

"My name is Avadis," he answered coolly. "Who are you?"

"I am Pluto, leader of Team Galactic. Now, give me that rock. Or I will simply kill you all and take it." Pluto smiled malevolently.

Avari, Jirachi, and Kaden all tensed up and exchanged glances at the mention of "Team Galactic". I had no idea what it was, and judging by Yarona's baffled expression and Avadis's lack of reaction, neither did they.

"Team Galactic was dissolved a year ago," Jirachi said simply.

"No. Just because Cyrus was defeated does not mean that we're gone. No, we're still here. I outlasted Cyrus, and now I command. Now, give me that rock," Pluto repeated.

Avadis shook his head. "You don't know what this is. I can't let you have it."

Pluto snorted. "Rotom, convince them."

The orange Pokemon, presumably Rotom, chittered, the sparks intensifying around its body, and dashed forward. Avari's eyes glowed, and it was surrounded by purple light, but it was only slowed down slightly and not immobilized. Rotom's huge blue eyes blinked, and then it grinned mischievously.

A gust of wind blew from the direction of the orange Pokemon, and I felt myself suddenly weaken. Avari, Jirachi, and Kaden cried out in surprise, but Yarona only blinked in confusion, watching them.

"Use Discharge on the Togekiss, Rotom."

Yarona realized that she was being targeted now, and spread her wings quickly. The electricity around Rotom intensified, a whirring noise coming from the small Pokemon, as it prepared an attack. Avadis hurriedly put me on the ground, and I was able to sit up on my left arm in time to see him move in front of Rotom at the same time electricity burst from it. Avadis didn't move as the white-hot sparks ran into him and covered his entire robotic body, his glowing eyes flickering.

A second later, the discharge stopped, and Pluto smirked when Avadis didn't move.

Then Yarona took off, flying around Avadis and straight at Rotom. One of her wings slashed down at it, sending it crashing to the ground. A cacophony of beeps was emitted from it, and it sprang back into the air almost immediately.

Yarona struck at it again with her other wing, and again it fell to the ground. This time, it was a little slower in getting back up.

Then Kaden was there, spewing flames from his mouth at Rotom. It was driven backward, giving a chitter of protest, until he finally closed his mouth. Yarona waited for the flames to dissipate, then dove at the orange Pokemon again, opening her mouth and shooting a small blue sphere of light at it.

To my surprise, and evidently hers as well, the blue sphere went through her orange adversary. Rotom made a chattering noise that sounded almost like laughter, before exploding into sparking electricity. Yarona fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

Avadis suddenly began moving again. Lifting one black arm, a yellow crackling blast of electricity shot at Rotom, enveloping it. This was followed by a black wave of energy, which struck the orange Pokemon as well and sent it flying. It smashed into a tree, then fell, twitching.

Rotom disappeared with a flash of red light into a Poke Ball, which was held by Pluto. He grunted, putting the Poke Ball into one of the large pockets in his clothing. "I see." Then he turned and disappeared into the vegetation.


End file.
